Analysis of the Under-Ice Topography in the Arctic Basin as Recorded by the USS Nautilus during August 1958
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 16865461 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alfred S McLaren (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1988 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication date | 1988-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | ARCTIC (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0004-0843 • E-ISSN: 1923-1245 |
| Publisher | The Arctic Institute of North America (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.14430/arctic1703 |
| OpenAlex | W2135220259 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 1 |
The USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was the first vessel to cross the Arctic Basin via the North Pole in early August 1958. During this expedition almost continuous acoustic under-ice thickness distribution profiles were recorded. This article presents an overall statistical analysis of the under-ice draft measurements obtained during this historic cruise. Geographic areas found to have distinct under-ice-characteristics and ice compositions are identified. Principal findings are: (1) Nautilus recorded an overall mean under-ice draft of 3.68 m across the Arctic Basin; (2) the under-ice topography becomes progressively more severe when proceeding from the Canadian to the Eurasian side of the Arctic Basin; (3) the Canada Basin was observed to contain the most moderate under-ice topography and the greatest number of open water and referent polynyas and leads along the transpolar route taken by Nautilus; (4) Nautilus encountered the most severe under-ice topography of the voyage over the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge; and (5) an overall Arctic Basin mean of 2.6% open water/new ice (<30 cm) was encountered during her voyage beneath the sea ice cover of the Arctic Ocean.Key words: sea ice, under-ice thickness distribution, sonar, Canada Basin, Central Arctic, Eurasian Basin, arctic submarine
Arctic · Arctic ice pack · Canada Basin · Drift ice · Fast ice · Geography · Nautilus · Physical geography · Sea ice · Structural basin · Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics · Climate change and permafrost · Cryospheric studies and observations · Geology · Oceanography · Paleontology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |